My House Doesn't Smell Like a Barn!...Anymore.

The smell that used to greet us at the door and remind us of an animal shelter is gone. Yippee Skippie it is gone! It involved a particularly nasty carpet that is roughly 10 years old and a cat who thinks rugs are litter boxes. Unfortunately Dylan thought right smack dab in front of the door was a good spot for her litter box. We didn't see eye to eye on this issue. So I spent one evening with an exacto blade, measuring tape, sharpie marker and bleach solution spray bottle to transform the dirty ole sponge into a vinyl entry space by the front door. When I lighted my smelly candles last night I actually smelled them. Ah, what a nice change.

I can't wait to rip up ALL of the carpet and put laminate flooring down instead. If you have ever heard me rant about how much I hate carpet you know on that day I will be in total bliss!

Share a Grapefruit With Someone You Love

Hooray, now I have someone to share grapefruit with! All last week Mackenson and I ate grapefruit for breakfast. Sometimes he would put it in his cereal, sometimes top his toast, but he likes it as much as I do! We also spent our breakfasts listening to Dave Matthews Band. Mackenson dances in the kitchen after he is done eating. Mostly this involves putting his hands in the air and twirling in a circle. One morning he ran to get "Puppy" to dance with him. Puppy is his stuffed dog toy that goes everywhere with Mack.

On Saturday I gave Marie and Mack grapefruit (and some other stuff) for ti mange/snack. Marie, who spent one week last summer stripping a tree of it's sour fruit and devouring it, insisted that she did not like grapefruit. When I left the room she ate it, so I think she was just being a little grumpy. Ah well, maybe it wasn't sour enough for her!

My Husband Rocks

Joe is indeed smarter than the average bear. Since this past summer I have had an extremely itchy rash in my ear, then it spread to the other ear. I went to the doctor twice for it, once I was given steroid meds (because I also had poison ivy and they thought my ear was affected by that). The second time I was given anti-bacterial/anti-itch drops and told to put baby oil in my ears if they itch. Well, when I put a q-tip with baby oil in my ear I felt like a dog who shakes its leg when its favorite spot is petted, it itched that much. Needless to say neither of these methods worked. My husband, the genius, told me to use some anti-fungal drops. That was three days ago and holy cow it worked! The first time in about 7 months that my ears don't drive me crazy!!! I love you, Joe.

Fun With Vocabulary

We bought a humidifier for Mackenson's room because he had a sinus infection. Lots of people have suggested we get one so we thought, what the heck, it can't hurt! As I was setting it up in his room Marie asked me what it was. I told her it was a humidifier for Mackenson's room. She looked very serious, "fire in Mackenson's room? I don't like fire.". Ah, always on the lookout for her baby brother.

Spring Fever

Last week was the spring: 65 degrees, robins in the yard, daffodils coming up and kids riding bikes. Simon and Ferris laid out in the yard, Dylan enjoyed an open window and Joe and I did some work in the garage. Mackenson's dresser is painted and waiting on me to carry it into his room. Joe built a shelf for Marie's books that is waiting to be painted.

This week is the fever: Mack started on Thursday and Marie came home from school Friday. Friday night was a nightmare with Marie's temperature spike sending her into the cold bath. Having to hold your child down to pour cold water on her while she is shivering so violently she can barely cry is horrible. It's just horrible. All day today neither kid had a fever, right at bedtime they started to get a little hot. Why is that kids can go all day fine and then get sick at night again?

Six Months a Family

Today has been 6 months since Marie, Mackenson, Joe and I arrived home as a family. It's amazing to look back and see the changes and growth we all have gone through. Parenthood is one wild ride! I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful and loving family.

To celebrate the day we had a big breakfast at a buffet restaurant. We have a Sunday morning custom of making a big breakfast together. We all ate ourselves silly then went to Home Depot for some woodworking supplies. The beautiful weather let us have some fun outside the rest of the day. Marie and Mack rode bikes with their friend, our neighbor. Joe built a shelf and I put another coat of paint on Mack's dresser. Simon and Ferris had a good time sunning themselves in the backyard and Dylan enjoyed sitting in the open windows.

Now we are all tired and happy at the day's end. The kids are in bed, the pets are asleep on the couch, Joe is tinkering in the basement and I am watching a little tv. What a happy family.

Slacker Update

So yeah, I'm a slacker. What can I say? Here's an update of what's been happening since well, last post was Dec 16, 2008, I guess!

-Christmas was crazy, we went to Iowa and Minnesota. Road tripping wasn't such a blast in the subzero temps and overexcited kids. They had a wonderful time though.
-Mackenson is learning his colors. He associates them with Sesame Street characters because he has a book with the colors and characters.
-Marie had her 100th day of kindergarten. They had a party and according to her, ate a lot of candy.
-Joe has been gone during the week a lot for work the past month or so. Next week he is supposed to be home all week.
-The Harlem Globetrotters came to Louisville and we went to the game!
-There was a huge ice storm last week that wiped out power for many people and businesses around us. Luckily we had heat and only lost water for a couple of days. Marie's school cancelled 7 days.
-Joe lost a bet on the Superbowl and has to grow out his hair! Hahaha!
-We are almost done refinishing Mack's dresser and Joe is almost done building/painting his shelf. He completed the refinishing of the dining room table leaves.
-The kids borrowed a Dora movie from the library and watched it over and over and over again. Joe and I now know the entire theme song.
-Marie's new favorite book is Zack's Alligator, Mack's is Dora's Nursery Rhyme Adventure.
-I took Melissa's advice on Walgreens Super Saver for free stuff (rebate)!
-Joe has a goal to buy another diesel car, bigger hopefully, and convert it to run off cooking oil. No, it isn't something he thought of in the middle of the night, it's for real!

I guess that's all I can think of right now. Maybe we'll win the lottery and I'll have something cool to write about tomorrow.